Computers and the Teaching of Writing in American Higher Education, 1979-1994

Gail E. Hawisher, Paul LeBlanc, Charles Moran, Cynthia L. Selfe

This book is a history composed of histories. Its particular focus is the way in which computers entered and changed the field of composition studies, a field that defines itself both as a research community and as a community of teachers. This may have a somewhat sinister suggestion that technology alone has agency, but this history (made of histories) is not principally about computers. It is about people-the teachers and scholars who have adapted the computer to their personal and professional purposes. From the authors' perspectives, change in technology drives changes in the ways we live and work, and we, agents to a degree in control of our own lives, use technology to achieve our human purposes. REVIEW: . . . This book reminds those of us now using computers to teach writing where we have been, and it brings those who are just entering the field up to date. More important, it will inform administrators, curriculum specialists, and others responsible for implementing the future uses of technology in writing instruction. - Computers and Composition

PrefaceIntroduction: Writing a History of Computers and Composition Studies1979-1982: The Professions Early Experience with Modern Technology1983-1985: Growth and Enthusiasm1986-1988: Emerging Research, Theory, and Professionalism1989-1991: Coming of Age: The Rise of Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives and a Consideration of Difference1992-1994: Looking ForwardAfterwordAuthor IndexSubject Index